As used throughout this specification, malicious software (“malware”) can include any virus, Trojan, bot, zombie, rootkit, backdoor, worm, spyware, adware, ransomware, dialer, payload, malicious browser helper object, cookie, logger, or similar designed to take a potentially-unwanted action, including by way of non-limiting example system hijacking, impersonation of an authorized user, unauthorized access to a system, data destruction, covert data collection, browser hijacking, network proxy or redirection, covert tracking, data logging, keylogging, excessive or deliberate barriers to removal, contact harvesting, and unauthorized self-propagation.
Apart from being developed to operate as standalone programs, malware may also take a form of malicious code added or injected into other software. One example of this form may be an “infected file” where malicious code is introduced by a parasitic replicating computer virus. Malicious code can also be injected manually or it can be added to the sources of software so that after compilation it will become part of the executable object, or can be added to scripts and interpreted, which may or may not be compiled.